1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I guess part of the answer is in the answer to these questions: how good is the price really? How many miles? what part of the country (rust)?, stick or auto? what shape is the body? what condition is the interior?
Before I do any of the stuff below, I'd pull the plugs and look at the condition and gap of them. I'd also do a compression test. Bet the plugs could be regapped and some of the issues will go away. If the compression test is satisfactory then you may just be leaking coolant from a line somewhere (something to get fixed right away however!).
If the compression test is poor (more than 15 psi delta or so from lowest to highest - you are looking for about 150 across the board) then a head gasket and test of the head may just need a resurface and cleanup. Do it right the first time, take it to a good shop, and you will be 150k miles or more before you get in there again - as long as you don't overheat.
Mechanical stuff is easier to fix than body work in my estimation. Remember there were only 3850 of these imported to the US (according to that famous site on aeros). A head gasket is worth about $500 - $1000 depending upon how much of the work you do, (I would replace hoses, resurface the head, thermostat, temp sender, water pump, and anything else in the gasket category while in there) and I suspect (but no guarantees!) that the rough running will be solved by this. If you need a radiator it's about $150 or so, and if it has been running hot do it now as an overheat puts you right back to square one above!
The ps resivor always leaks on these, often you need to change the hose to stop the leak.
If there is no rust, the body is in great shape, the interior is in great shape, and the miles are under 150,000.... and you will have to invest $1500 in it in the next 12 months (clutch? Tires? Head gasket? radiator?) how much do you want to pay for the whole thing?
I paid pretty high on a cream puff from New Mexico. 72K miles, a 1994, I bet no one was ever in the back seat, and less than 10% passenger in the right front. All in all an outstanding car.
Then I bought a 1996 with a blown head gasket, about 150K miles, interior ok but been used. engine bay oil crud all over so I did a head gasket, hoses, a clutch, cleaned the engine bay (a *lot*), water pump, had the Alternator rebuilt at a shop, some other stuff... but I paid $1300 for it.
So the real question is, how much do *you* want to pay for it?
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